Reinforced concrete construction



Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

INVENTORS Harry CZOZLSGI' T horntan 19) m ATTORNEY H. CLCUSER AND E. R. THORNTON.

REINFORCED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, I920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY E. CLOUSER AND EDGAR R. THORNTON, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA,

FORNIA.

OF STOCKTON, CALI- REINFORCED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12,1921.

Application filed February 9, 1920. Serial No. 357,458.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, HARRY E. CLoUsER and EDGAR R. THORNTON, citizens of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reinforced Concrete Constructions; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in concrete construction and particularly to an interlocking block structure to be made in suitable sizes and adapted to be used to construct buildings and structures of all kinds.

The principal object of the invention is to provide concrete blocks which when laid together in the right manner will be firmly interlocked against movement in any direction, and hence will form a very rigid structure.

It is also our aim to use our blocks for double wall construction so that an unobstructed air passage will be had therebe' tween, the advantages of which are well known.

In order to firmly bind the two walls together without obstructing the air space, we

. have therefore provided separate metal attachments or binders to be held by the two walls and inserted in position when the walls are being built, and have provided means in the blocks for receiving these members without the necessity of building them into the blocks when making the same, or without mutilating the blocks to position the binders. These binders then are in themselves removable, but when the walls are -built they cannot be moved in any direction without breaking the blocks.

Our blocks are also adapted to receive a finish surface of plaster directly on either face thereof, without the necessity of employing lath or similar holding background.

In order therefore to adapt these blocks for ordinary house construction, certain of I blocks and built into the block by first placmg the same in the mold in which the blocks are poured in their making.

The partitions or division walls are also to be interlocked with the main walls and made of a single line of blocks of the same design, thereby further binding and bracing the structure into a rigid whole.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects we accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a double-walled corner built up of our improved blocks.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing an interlocking partition construction.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a block having a wooden strip formed therein.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes the body of a block having central and longitudinal ridges 2 preferably semicircular in cross section, along one horizontal edge. A corresponding depression or groove 3 extendsalong the other edge being adapted of course to receive the rid e of the adjacent block.

imilarly one vertical end of each block has a ridge 4 while the other end has a depression 5.

The blocks may also have transverse ridges 6 on the edge having the ridges 2, and corresponding depressions 7 on the opposite edge.

These however may. be omitted in the it a corresponding amount the other end.

For this reason the transverse ridges and grooves 6 and 7, in order to aline under all conditions, must be placed a quarter of the length of a block from each end, there being two of such ridges and depressions on each block.

. Certain blocks would have a wooden strip 9 formed or built therein flush with one face thereof in order to be able to fasten picture moldings, etc., thereto. These strips, as previously stated, are laid into themold in which the blocks are formed, and are preferably wedge'shaped or dove-tailed, so as to prevent their becoming loose and being .ripped out.

extend between the two walls, resting partly in the transverse channels 12' and partly in the longitudinal channels 11. These members are preferably circular in cross section, and project halfway above each channel, when laid in position. Then when other blocks are laid in position thereover, the corresponding channels therein receive the projecting portion of the binders, and the same are then rigidly held in position and cannot be removed. It will thus be readily seenthat they hold the walls rigidly in spaced relation, without interfering with the air space.

In building with our blocks, no trowels are used and only a wash coat of cement of the consistencyof paint to be applied with a suitable paint brush, is placed between the blocks, allowing them to fit closely.

On account of the fact that our blocks are to be formed in an accurate mold, they will lay up true without the use of a considerable thickness of mortar such as is usually necessary to not only bind the structure but serve as an aid in truing the wall up.

This washcoat of cement then serves as a sealer rather than as a binder for the blocks, hermetically sealing the same together and making a unit structure, practically as strong and firm as one of solid concrete would be.

When building a partition in conjunction with an inner wall of our block construction, the same is preferably built up by having one partition block as 14 abut against the wall, the next one.15 overlap the wall 16 the thickness thereof, the wall blocks 17 on the plane thereof abutting thereagainst, and so on in staggered relation. shown in Fig. 2. Of course the blocks in both wall and partition at their connection would have to be special, 'so that they may have therein the necessary and properly positioned ridges and grooves to provide the interlocking features which are a vital feature of our block construction.

When employing our blocks in building a very heavy or tall structure, reinforcing irons 18 would be embedded in the blocks, both longitudinally and vertically as shown in Fig. 2. These irons would extend to but not beyond the edges of the blocks, and would be so positioned that they would all aline in the completed structure.

By this means, a reinforcing is had for the blocks, which greatly increases their tensional strength and their ability to resist crushing, this latter factor being a cause of considerable trouble in large heavy buildings, in which the accumulated weight is suflicient to crush or crack the lower blocks. Our blocks, being always arranged in staggered order will be immune from any such trouble, and the reinforcing irons will be as much of value as if actually continuous throughout the structure.

e may also of course form the outside faces of any blocks so that they have any desired design or shape,'so as to serve for copings, etc., and be sufliciently ornamental without the necessity of adding on other members to give the desired effect.

From the foregoing description it will a, device as substantially fulfils the object of the invention as set forth herein.

lVhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In building blocks having each a longitudinally and centrally positioned ridge along one horizontal edge and a corresponding groove along the opposite edge, longitudinal This is I channels on each side of the ridges and channels of spaced blocks and in the corgrooves, transverse connecting channels beresponding longitudinal channels thereof. tween the longitudinal channels, and the v faces of the-b1ocks thel atter being adapted tures. 5 to, be laid in horlzontally' spaced rows to y form the building, and Z-shaped metal bind- 1 HARRY E. CLOUSER. ers arranged to-seat in the adjacent transverse EDGAR R. THORNTON.

n testimony whereof we afiix our signa- 10 a 

